The United Way of Greater New Orleans has printed another 3,000 copies of "From Woodstoves to Microwaves," the recipe compilation originally put together by New Orleans Public Service Inc. and popularly known as "the NOPSI cookbook."

The agency that does so much good for so many was given the rights to the cookbook by Entergy (NOPSI's successor), and sells it to raise money.

'NOPSI cookbook' is back Popular volume has been reprinted as a United Way fundraiser

Cost is $24.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. Orders can be purchased with a credit card at www.unitedwaynola.org/. A form to order the book by mail is also on the site, or it can be ordered by phone by calling 504.827.6872.

When The Times-Picayune reported months ago that people needed to contact the agency if they wanted the book, in order to justify another printing, about 1,200 people got in touch, said Cindy Corcoran, United Way marketing and public relations assistant.

"I've had a couple of people call and say, 'Are you sure this is the NOPSI cookbook?' and I say, 'Yes ma'm, it is," Corcoran reported. The recipes are from home economists that New Orleans Public Service employed, and were given out on the city's streetcars as well as in other locations.

THEY CALL IT TAMALE PIE: "I lost my recipes in Katrina," Brenda says. "Two of my favorites were a Tex-Mex dish and a healthy recipe for zucchini bread. ... Any help will be appreciated."

This corresponds to Brenda's description of the Tex-Mex dish. It's a tamale pie.

Tamale pie

Makes 6 servings

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped bell peppers

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn, thawed

1 cup chopped green olives

1 tablespoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons chili powder

Salt and cayenne to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon plus 1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons butter, melted, cooled slightly

¾ cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup grated sharp cheddar

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

Saute the onions and bell peppers in the oil over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are soft. Add the beef and cook, stirring often, until the beef is no longer pink. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, corn, olives, cumin, allspice, chili powder, salt, cayenne, Worcestershire, Tabasco and 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Stir to mix well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 2½-quart casserole. At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for 1 or 2 days (or frozen).

When ready to complete, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining cup cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, milk and egg and stir until the batter is combined. Add the cheese and chiles. Stir to blend. Drop the batter by large spoonfuls around the edge of the casserole. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the batter is golden. Serve immediately.

MARTHA WHITE BOUGHT BALLARD: Hazel asks about the Ballard Old South cornbread mix called for in a recent recipe.

"I have not seen Ballard in the grocery since Katrina," she writes. "Do you or any of your readers know where I can purchase it?"

With a little Internet research, we learned that Martha White bought the brand in 2006. Look for Martha White's White Cornbread mix, which may say "Ballard's" on the label in small letters. The classic cornbread stuffing recipe that was on the Ballard's package for years is on the Martha White Web site, www.marthawhite.com/Recipes.

BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: M.P. of Metairie asks, "I wonder if anyone has a recipe for the shrimp remoulade served at D.H. Holmes on Canal Street. I would have lunch there every Saturday after my piano lessons at Werlein's and remember how wonderful it was. Thanks."

Since McKenzie's bakeries closed, P.H. of Slidell writes, "My husband has craved their wine cakes. The wine cakes were sold individually in clear plastic snap-top containers. It seemed to be a sponge cake soaked in a simple syrup type sauce, with whipped cream and a cherry on top. I have tried making sponge cake in individual bundt cake forms, soaking them in a simple syrup flavored with a rum/butter/nut flavoring. It is good, but not quite the original."

Does anyone have a recipe that's close to the original McKenzie's wine cakes ?

"Hi Ms. Walker," writes Robyn from New Orleans. "I'm looking for the recipe for the Amaretto kiss dessert from the old La Riviera in Metairie . The consistency was between a mousse and a pudding, and the color was a touch lighter than peanut butter.

"Another recipe I would love to find is the sweet potato andouille bisque from the now-closed Fortissimo Deli on St. Charles Avenue. It had a pureed consistency, not too sweet and not too spicy."

GOLDEN ALMOND CAKE: "Hi! I'm an avid reader of your column since moving here in June 2006 from California, but have never sent anything to you. When I read (about almond wedding cake) I went to my 'Cake Bible' by Rose Levy Beranbaum and found the following recipe for golden almond cake," writes Denice from Metairie.

"It does have vanilla and almond extract, but also has toasted ground almonds, which may do the trick. Not a wedding cake, but this amazing book tells how to 'batch up' cakes to make larger cakes, including wedding."

Golden almond cake Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

¼ teaspoon vanilla

1 2/3 cups sifted cake flour

1/3 cup, ground, unblanched sliced almonds, toasted and finely ground

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons softened butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch-by-2-inch cake pan or 9-inch springform pan; line the bottom with parchment or wax paper, then grease it again and flour it.

In a medium bowl lightly combine the eggs, ¼ of the sour cream and the extracts. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining sour cream. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1¤½ minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and unmold, or remove the sides of the springform pan. Allow to cool completely before wrapping airtight.

Adornments: a simple dusting of powdered sugar; also, raspberries, peaches and chocolate have a natural affinity for almonds.